Interestingly, Valentin told us that the only tacos place they have where he lives is a Middle Eastern version rather than Mexican! So, we decided to bring him to a restaurant serving tacos and ended up at Tacombi at Fonda Nolita on the Lower East Side.
It is a very interesting place: when you enter, it is as if you were on the side of a road, with a small van in the middle where they make tacos!
Looking carefully inside the van, you can see the Chef works his magic:
On the right when you enter, they have a small cafe, for take out:
The name Tacombi is in fact the contraction of Tacos and Combi, the latter being the van that is used as a taxi in Mexico.
Our waiter was nice and efficient, but the food took some time to come. We started off with guacamole and chips.
It was freshly and perfectly made, but I was surprised by the small quantity for close to $12.
It was good, especially if you like mushrooms as it was the predominant taste, overpowering the cilantro, onions or what seemed to be kale.
Valentin ordered their special taco as well as the crispy fish and chicken mole. On my side, I ordered three different tacos (they advice to eat three to be full and they were right).
The first one was barbacoa that is beef brisket.
It was a bit dry and I added some chipotle sauce to it, that added some spiciness to the dish.
The second one was pork belly, that had more flavor.
It had, besides pork belly, radicchio and fried pig skin.
The third one was crispy fish that was my favorite, but a bit messy to eat. I had to eat it with a knife and fork...it was served with a spicy mayo (for a nice kick) and some cabbage to give some additional crunch.
We also shared rice and beans, that was good but the beans were a bit dry.
With the meal, we ordered some Mexican soda: pineapple (sparkling) and lime.
The soda were very good and I wish I could find them at the Supermarket.
Tacombi was very good and I would just go for the unique decor. However, I found it a bit pricey...
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
